Topic: Describe and analyze the cultural, economic, and political impact of Islam on EUROPE between 1000 CE and 1750 CE.
Beginning- Muslim Spain Middle- The Crusades End- Ottoman Empire
The Muslims build libraries and universities. Cities, such as Córdoba, become cultural centers. In fact, it was one of the richest and most sophisticated cities in Europe at the time.
The Muslims introduce new crops and new agricultural technology.
The Muslims share their architectural and poetic styles.
Isabella and Ferdinand reconquer (reconquista) Spain from the Muslims. In 1492, Grenada, the last Muslim stronghold, falls, though the rest of Muslim Spain had fallen by 1248.
Spanish Inquisition
Note: Muslim Spain existed before and after the Crusades.
While in the Islamic Empire, the Europeans discover that the Muslims, as well as the Byzantines, had preserved the culture of the classical civilizations.
This rediscovery and the advanced Muslim society inspired the Renaissance, and ultimately, the Scientific Revolution, Protestant Reformation and Enlightenment.
Now in more frequent contact, trade between them increases. Muslim traders bring goods and innovations from Asia and the Middle East via the Silk Road.
With the aid of the magnetic compass and astrolabe, Vasco da Gama reaches India, establishing new trade relations, cutting out the Muslim middlemen.
In 1453, the Muslim Ottoman Turks defeat the Byzantines.
Christian children from Europe are enslaved as Janissaries, who are taught Islamic ways and how to use guns.
The Ottomans reach their height under Suleiman the Great who pushes into Europe, reaching as far as Vienna.
The Ottomans decline due to a Janissary revolt, and weak government.
The Ottomans introduce Europe to coffee, and coffeehouses become popular with Enlightenment thinkers. They also trade expensive tulip bulbs.
Hagia Sophia is converted into a mosque. Islamic culture spreads throughout the